Oakura Flooding January 2026
- SidLinx
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
“It was about 4am this morning, and it was heavy, heavy, heavy rain, thunder and lightning as well… Then we got up and we just saw all the water coming down – it just kept rising, rising, rising.”
George Gee (Ōakura Road resident)
Parts of Northland, New Zealand - has always been prone to flooding; for the past several days, the small coastal settlement of Ōakura in Northland has been living through one of the worst weather events in its recent memory. It began as heavy overnight, continuous heavy rain causing widespread flooding, slips, and road closures. Families woke to water and mud washing through their homes. The road leading into the bay splits left and right following the beach. On the left, just before the road splits there is a public toilet, behind it is a high, bush covered bank. The bank slipped down to the toilet building, mud flowing right through it and the hall next to it. The slip is a stark reminder of how vulnerable Northland’s coastal communities remain exposed to sudden, intense downpours.
Nearby is the local cemetery (urupa), a sacred (tapu) ground where Maori who are connected to the area are laid to rest. The urupa on a large flat section will be saturated, otherwise far enough away from hills to escape slips.
Four Days (from Saturday 17 January 2026)
Day 1
Heavy rain swept into Ōakura before dawn, intensifying quickly as thunder and lightning rolled across Whangaruru and jolted residents awake, with surface flooding already forming on low‑lying roads around the bay. By mid‑morning the downpour had become torrential, pushing water into homes near the beachfront and estuary and leaving some vehicles partially submerged. As the afternoon wore on, slips began to break away from the saturated hillsides, one of them crashing through the rear wall of the Ōakura Community Hall, while Civil Defence issued early warnings across the wider Whangārei District.
Day 2
Floodwaters surged dramatically overnight, leaving some homes with half a metre to a metre of water and forcing residents to evacuate with pets and essentials while others woke to water bubbling through their floorboards. By late morning, Whangaruru North Road had suffered major damage, including a collapsed bridge, power outages spread across parts of the district, and local marae opened their doors to families who had nowhere else to go. As the afternoon unfolded, boats on trailers began floating inside garages, thick mud oozed through kitchens, lounges, and cabins, and Civil Defence teams moved through the area conducting welfare checks and urging people to stay off the roads.
Day 3
As the morning brings a brief pause in the rain, the full extent of the damage becomes visible, prompting residents to drag ruined furniture, carpets, and appliances out of their homes while insurance assessors and contractors begin to filter into the area. By midday, slips continue to shift on the saturated hillsides, road crews work to clear debris despite severely limited access, and authorities warn that more heavy rain is on the way. As evening settles in, community volunteers arrive with food, generators, and essential supplies, families return to inspect homes they still cannot safely stay in, and the emotional weight of the past days begins to surface as the initial adrenaline finally ebbs.
Day 4
Short breaks in the weather during the morning allow residents to push ahead with clean‑up efforts, though the ground remains unstable and Civil Defence urges holiday‑homeowners to delay travelling into the area. By the afternoon, forecast models point to more thunderstorms on the way, leaving locals bracing for yet another round of rain while hoping the worst is finally behind them.
“We were having a lie in, listening to the rain and then the [car] alarm went off, and then we got up and it was underwater… everything, everything was underwater.”
Shane McInnes (Ōakura holiday‑homeowner), found his ute submerged in a metre of water and his boat floating inside the garage.
Click on the link below to see a local’s report from Oakura.
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